% Yet more reason why Brexit is good: EU opposes Maduro in Venezuela
% Leah Rowe
% 2019-01-31

I wasn't planning to write about this, but this Guardian article really pissed
me off: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/31/venezuela-guaido-urging-west-to-keep-up-pressure-says-hunt> - scandalous!

Well, for accurate and truthful information regarding the current political
crisis happening in Venezuela, read these articles:

(and please subscribe to the morning star. it's the only truly left-wing news media
publication in the UK)

- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/mike-pence-accused-of-authorising-a-coup-against-venezuela%27s-government>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/soldiers-in-custody-after-failed-coup-attempt-in-venezeula>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/venezuela%27s-maduro-accused-us-of-trying-to-undermine-democracy>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/venezuela-people-united-will-never-be-defeated>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/venezuelan-military-defectors-call-on-us-to-arm-them>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/the-united-states-is-paving-the-way-for-a-bloody-civil-war-in-venezuela-peace-campaigners-warn>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/backing-us-led-coup-in-venezuela-would-be-a-mistake-says-shadow-foreign-secretary>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/republican-senator-claims-trump-discussed-a-military-intervention-of-venezuela>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/e/counter-revolution-acquires-new-flavour>
- <https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/venezuela-defiant-as-european-leaders-join-us-push-for-regime-change>

A little background about Venezuela... the country was quite corrupt prior to
the 1990s, with the government basically plundering all wealth from its
citizens. The country has always been very poor.

In the 1990s, a socialist state was brought about. Venezuela was already
dependent on oil revenues for a lot of its national wealth, and this didn't
change since then. Chavez's government fell victim to a coup in 2002, which it
managed to overcome. Its people strongly supported (and still support) the
socialist regime in place within the country.

Over the years, Venezuala has been transformed into a place that is much more
equal for its citizens. Poor people started to be able to have access to
education, welfare and health services for the first time. It is a socialist
state, afterall. I don't really want to get into detail on the history of
Venezuela, you can read up on WikiPedia instead.

An election was held about a year or so ago, installing Mr. Maduro, a communist,
into power in Venuzuela. This was a fair election, where he got two thirds of
the vote. However, the USA in particular was unhappy about that.

Since oil prices have fell in the last few years, Venezuela has been hit pretty
hard and its economy has been shrinking. Supplies of food and medicine have
dwindled, leading to shortages all over the country. This has created great
instability within the country, leading to violence and crime.

Of course, measures have been put in place by the government there to try to
control the situation and ensure that people still have decent living standards.

I already wrote about communism, and why I support it, in this article:
[communism.md](communism.md)

I also have two other Brexit related articles:
[brexit2.md](brexit2.md) and [brexit.md](brexit.md).

So... long story short, there is a coup currently being carried out in
Venezuela. The head of the country's defunct National Assembly (which is no
longer recognized as having any authority in the country) has illegally
declared himself president and he is trying to oust the country's socialist
state.

The government in Venezuela is quite rightly responding to this by imprisoning
the people involved, and in trying to crush what is basically a coup against
a democratically elected government. If the coup is successful, it would lead
to much greater civil unrest within Venuzuela, and the poor would suffer for
it.

The reason Venezuela does so badly isn't because of Maduro, or because of
socialism. It's just an unfortunate consequence of the lack of cooperation
they get from other countries. Their main ally is Cuba, which is also a communist state.

Anyway.... I don't really want to go on about this.... I just wanted to vent.

I already supported Brexit, but now I support it even more. The EU has, today,
officially shown contempt for democracy by supporting an illegal coup in
Venezuala. This, right after Trump flat out threatened to invade Venezuela to
oust Maduro from power.

The imperialist states merely want Venezuela's oil. They don't care about the
people living in that country.

As a communist, I have great respect and admiration for both Cuba, and their
sister republic Venezuala.

I hope Guido and has gang are stopped in their tracks, and I hope that
Maduro manages to maintain socialism within the country. Counter revolution is
a constant threat to any socialist state, one that must be crushed at all costs.

Venezuela, like Cuba, has faced enormous pressure from the imperialist countries,
most notably the United States, who are opposed to socialism in any form.

If you live in the United States and are reading this: I urge you, write to
your local congress person and urge them to support Maduro's government.

I say the same thing to British citizens. Please write to your member of
parliament. I will be writing to mine.


